HOTEL REVIEWS ESL LESSON PLAN
OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES
This ESL lesson plan on hotel reviews offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for pre-intermediate A2–B1 students. In this lesson, students will:
Talk about different types of accommodations and what matters most to them when choosing where to stay.
Learn useful vocabulary for describing hotel features, conditions, and personal experiences.
Watch a video about a negative hotel experience and complete activities that focus on sequencing, correction, and comprehension.
Practice using extreme adjectives to write and analyze short hotel reviews.
Create and present their own reviews or compare accommodation choices using creative prompts.
PREVIEW & DISCUSSION
Students begin this hotel reviews ESL lesson plan by looking at images of two different accommodations and predicting what the people in the photos might say about their experiences. Then, they discuss questions about their own accommodation preferences, including where they like to stay and whether they read or write hotel reviews. Students also reflect on what matters most to them when booking—such as cleanliness or location—and share their ideas. Finally, students imagine what a 2.8-star hotel might be like and describe their expectations using simple descriptive language.
VIEWING ACTIVITY
In the viewing phase of this lesson plan, students watch a short video where a guest explores a low-rated Tokyo hotel, highlighting dirty conditions, bad smells, and shocking surprises in the bathroom and kitchen. First, students order the events from the video, practicing sequencing skills. Then, they correct false statements based on the video’s content and check their answers. Finally, students choose the correct vocabulary words (e.g., “mold,” “hardwood”) that best describe what the guest encounters.
VIEWING FOLLOW-UP
Students share their opinions about the hotel from the video and discuss how they would feel in a similar situation. Then, they complete real-sounding hotel reviews using extreme adjectives like filthy, spotless, huge, and awful to describe accommodations. After that, students imagine short reviews for three different types of accommodations shown in photos, applying the new vocabulary in a controlled writing context. These exercises build descriptive language and confidence in expressing opinions about travel experiences.
HOW WAS YOUR STAY? REVIEW YOUR ACCOMMODATION
In this final part, students choose between two creative tasks. In Option A, they write a review for a hotel or accommodation—real, imagined, or found online—and describe aspects like service, location, and cleanliness using extreme adjectives and linking phrases. They then share their reviews with a classmate or teacher and answer questions. In Option B, students respond to fun “Would you rather…?” questions comparing different accommodation scenarios, such as staying in a quiet hotel with bad Wi-Fi or a noisy one that’s spotless. This activation encourages fluency, critical thinking, and personal expression while using the target vocabulary.
BENEFITS OF USING THIS HOTEL REVIEW ESL LESSON PLAN
This hotel review ESL lesson plan helps students build real-world communication skills using relevant and relatable content. Students gain confidence expressing opinions and experiences using descriptive language. They learn and apply common extreme adjectives in a fun and practical way. The lesson includes plenty of speaking practice through opinion sharing and creative prompts. The video and visuals add engagement and improve listening comprehension. Teachers benefit from a well-structured, level-appropriate lesson with clear scaffolding and interactive tasks.
VIDEO DESCRIPTION
Is Tokyo’s 2.8-star hotel as bad as the reviews claim? From moldy bathrooms and filthy pillows to a terrifying microwave reveal, this firsthand experience dives into just how low-budget can go. Watch at your own risk—you might never book cheap again.
LESSON ACTIVITIES
- SPEAKING: Hotels, Travel, Tourism, Accommodation, Reviews, Cleanliness
- VIEWING: Adjectives, Accommodation, Reviews, Service, Emotions
- VOCABULARY: Extreme Adjectives, Accommodation, Reviews, Service, Emotions, Phrases
- GRAMMAR: Linking Phrases
- ADDITIONAL: Writing a Hotel Review, Quiz & Review, Lesson Reflection
LESSON TOPICS
Hotels, Travel, Tourism, Accommodation, Reviews, Cleanliness